Jan. 27, 2010
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
Game 18
Thursday, January 28th - 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Old Dominion University Lady Monarchs (8-9, 6-1 CAA) at
College of William & Mary Tribe (10-8, 3-4 CAA)
Kaplan Arena (8,600) - Williamsburg, Va.
TV: None
Radio: Star 1310 AM
Online Audio: Monarch TV
Online Video: Tribe Video
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Old Dominion women's basketball (8-9, 6-1) will look to maintain its spot atop the CAA standings as they travel to William & Mary (10-8, 3-4) this Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. ODU is currently locked in a three-way tie with Drexel and VCU in first place.
ODU is coming off a come-from-behind victory on the road against Towson University and has now won five straight games and six of the last seven. The Lady Monarchs jumped into a tie for first place in the CAA after battling back froma 13-point deficit in the second half against Towson.
Junior Jasmine Parker has been impressive in CAA play and led the way against the Tigers last week. Parker had a game-high 22 points while knocking down 8 of her 10 shots, including four 3-pointers. Parker is averaging a team-high 13.4 points per game in CAA contests and is also dishing out 3.9 assists per game while hauling in 3.9 rebounds.
Senior Jessica Canady also continues to perform, averaging 11.1 ppg and 8.6 rpg in CAA games this season. She has started eight straight games since returning from rehabbing a knee injury and now ranks second on the team in rebounding, hauling in 6.3 boards per game.
The Tribe have been led by sophomore Tasha Pye, who gave Old Dominion trouble last season, scoring 26 points in the final regular season game of the year. Pye is averaging 15.0 points per game this year. Senior Tiffany Benson is looking to become the CAA's all-time leader in blocked shots, as she is just three shy of doing so. With 234 career blocks, she passed ODU's Nyree Roberts ('98) on the list earlier this season and is just two behind George Mason's Trish Halpin ('00). Benson is also second on the team in rebounding, with 7.7 per game this season.
Today's Game:
All-Time Series - Old Dominion owns a dominant 48-3 record in the all-time series, including a current 46-game winning streak. ODU has not lost to the Tribe since 1975-76. The Lady Monarchs have won all but three of the games in that stretch by double digits.
About the Tribe - After winning eight of their first 12 games, the Tribe has struggled in conference action, dropping four of their last six games. William & Mary is coming off a win at George Mason, but lost at Hofstra and at home to first place VCU in the previous two matchups.
Senior Tiffany Benson is just three blocks shy of becoming the CAA's All-Time leader and is also second on the team in rebounding this year, averaging 7.7 per contest.
Leading the way offensively is sophomore Taysha Pye, averaging 15.0 points per game. Pye dropped 26 points on the Lady Monarchs in a loss last season and has three 20-point efforts so far this season.
After Pye, the Tribe looks to Janine Aldridge and Katherine DeHenzel for scoring threates. Both have over 50 assists to go with their eight points a game. The two guards are knocking down a bunch of three-pointers this season, as Aldridge ranks eighth in the league in 3-pointers made while DeHenzel ranks fifth in the 3-point field goal percentage.
The team's strong suit is the tenacity on the boards. William & Mary currently leads all teams in the CAA with 44.9 rebounds per game and is second in rebounding margin.
Whew! That Was Close
ODU is excelling in tight ball games this season, winning five of the seven games decided by single digits, including three straight at JMU, against Georgia State and on the road against Towson. Old Dominion's closest game this season was a 1-point win at Delaware, powered to victory by Jasmine Parker taking a charge and knocking down a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the game.
Three-Point Defense
JMU, one of the nation's top long-ball teams, was able to knock down just a pair of 3-pointers on 23 attempts against the Lady Monarchs. For the season, ODU ranks second in the CAA in 3-pt FG percentage defense, allowing just 28.9% from beyond the arc. In conference only games, ODU leads the league, allowing an abysmal 17.1% from long range (18-for-105).
Hot Conference Shooting
ODU can be found among the league leaders in several statistical categories. In conference games this season, sophomore Tia Lewis is leading the league in field goal percentage, knocking down 61.0% of her shots. In fact, ODU holds the top two spots. Senior Jessica Canady is second in the league, with 55.8% of her shots falling.
As a team, Old Dominion is leading the league in schooting percentage, passing VCU after the last outing. ODU is shooting at a 43.7% clip while VCU is second at 41.6% as a team.
Milestone March:
Not only are the Lady Monarchs just three wins shy of 100 in the Constant Center, but the Old Dominion women's basketball program is just two wins away from 900. Old Dominion women's basketball boasts an all-time record of 898-309 (.744) in over 40 years of play. There are only two programs in the history of women's basketball with 900 wins (Tennessee & Louisiana Tech). Head Coach Wendy Larry is also approaching yet another milestone, just 23 wins shy of her 600th.
CAA Preseason Poll
The Lady Monarchs were picked to finish third in the CAA Preseason Rankings, as voted on by the head coaches. Defending champions Drexel were pegged as the top team heading into 2009-10 with James Madison also selected ahead of ODU.
2009-10 Preseason Predicted Order of Finish:
1. Drexel
2. James Madison
3. Old Dominion
4. Delaware
5. VCU
6. Towson
7. Hofstra
8. UNC Wilmington
9. William and Mary
10. Northeastern
11. Georgia State
12. George Mason